Hospitality outlines key actions to aid recovery

The on-trade is urging the UK government to commit to five key measures to help the hospitality industry recover.

Recent data from trade body UK Hospitality and CGA revealed the hospitality industry has lost £115 billion (US$156.3bn) in sales during the two years of the pandemic.

The five measures, designed to help the sector rebuild and contribute fully to the UK’s social and economic recovery, are: consistent regulations across the UK, trusting businesses to looking after their staff and customers, planning for international travel, the ability to ramp up health infrastructure, and clear communication.

Kate Nicholls, UK Hospitality CEO, said: “Businesses in our sector are low on cash, deep in debt and facing rising costs across the board, including a hike to 20% VAT in April.

“In order to emerge from the pandemic in a position to fully play its role in the wider economic recovery of the country, the sector needs a more stable and predictable operating environment as well as further support.

“We are therefore calling on the government to ensure that restrictions are consistent nationwide, operators are trusted to keep their staff and customers safe, international borders remain open, flexibility is built into our health infrastructure and communication is clear.

“In the meantime the industry needs ongoing support, including maintaining the current 12.5% rate of VAT permanently.”

Consistent regulations needed

The industry is asking for consistent regulations across the UK, including neighbouring towns and cities, to avoid confusion and negatively impacting consumer confidence.

Furthermore, the sector highlighted how it has invested heavily in health and safety measures to make venues safe. The industry is asking for Covid-19 management to be rolled into existing risk assessments of individual businesses.

Hospitality professionals are also pleading with the government to ‘avoid at all costs’ preventing international tourism to the UK, and damaging consumer confidence in domestic travel and large events.

In regards to health infrastructure, hospitality said ‘living with Covid’ was not about restrictions, but about depending on measures that have proven to be most effective in tackling the virus, such as vaccine and testing resources.

Lastly, it stressed that public messaging ‘directly impacts’ consumer confidence. Therefore, future government communication should be considerate towards the role that hospitality plays in communities and the nation’s economic recovery.